Discussion

Moderately priced bistro in Berkeley?

HiI'm taking a friend to dinner for her bday on Sunday in Berkeley. She likes French food but we're both grad students, so I'm looking for something with reasonably priced wine and entrees topping out in the teens. I don't get over to the East Bay that often and the places I have on my list are Pizzaiolo, Cesar, Kirala, Bakesale Betty's, and stuff in the Chez Panisse (too expensive) range. I haven't been to A Cote or La Note, but they both seem like they might be in the right price range, any comment on the food? I also sent her menus for Pizzaiolo and Cesar. I tried searching but my searches are less than successful on this board. Thanks for any advice.

Gregoire. It's uber casual - no table service, and it's easier to score a seat at Piedmont than Berkeley. The prices are a great deal, and they serve the most delicious food in your price range. byo means no wine mark-ups. I rarely spend more than $20/person all inclusive for dinner at Gregoire - and there are very few tasty French places in the East Bay where that can be done.

A Cote is a small plates restaurants. Be prepared to drop $30-$50 per person or go home hungry. Same goes for Cesar. Great food, but those small plates add up.

If you require table service, you can consider La Note and (shudder) Bistro Liaison, but I think both places sacrifice food quality to maintain a low price point. In terms of deliciousness, Gregoire is superior.

$20+/person at Gregoire is about right, but you eat out of a brown cardboard box with crinkly parchment paper, sitting on stools facing a wall or the part-time cook who boxes stuff up for the takeout customers. Where is a truly moderately priced bistro in the EBay? Unfortunately, reasonable interesting food at that level is not found in the french/euro mode. But there's really great stuff in SE Asian restaurants (Champa, Jakarta, etc.) Interesting thread. Hope you find something...

I offer two recommendations, with a caveat...Jojo on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland has wonderful French country food in a small and comfortable space...in Berkeley, La Rose Bistro also serves French food [but not of the calibre of Jojo]...

I went to dinner at La Rose Bistro on a hot September evening with a visitor from Japan. The air conditioning was not working. The waiter brought the menus and winelist, and I ordered a bottle of wine to go with steak and with a lamb dish that I ordered. The wine arrived, but bread never made it to our table. Neither did water. The waiter must have been having trouble with the rush of three tables that came in over a 30 minute period. The steak arrived, and although I don't like plates that have spent more time getting decorated than the food on them spent being prepared, a brown/tan hunk of steak thrown on top of liquidy tan potatoes au gratin was not inspiring. My dish was not much better in appearance, and it tasted as good as it looked. Overall, I found La Rose Bistro to be a very disappointing place. Perhaps I caught them on a bad day, but I certainly wouldn't send someone there.

Don't know if you got them on a bad day, or I got them on a good day, but yours reads like an objectively bad experience...past comments about Rose on this board have been moderately positive; my limited experience has been satisfactory...in any event, Jojo is the better choice...

Vanessa's Bistro on Solano, more of a Viet-French menu got a mention on this years Michelin list for meals under $30. It's quaint, relaxed but not too casual, has seating for 4 but definitely needs a reservation on weekends.

The food at Gregoire is good, but the only tables are either outside (at the Berkeley location) or in the Oakland location inside at a counter, and in absolutely freezing temperatures, I shiver while waiting for takeout there. I would not take someone there in this weather and for their birthday. I love the food at A Cote, and while it is small plates, I find their plate sizes pretty substantial, and two people can easily share four plates for a meal. You can't make a reservation, but the bar is pretty pleasant, with great drinks. Pizzaiolo isn't open on Sunday, fyi. I like Cesar a lot too, but I always end up spending more money at Cesar than at A Cote. If you go to Cesar, go to the Oakland location. Jojo is also a great suggestion, good food and service, and really nice cosy atmosphere.

You're setting a tough price-point for "French": once you tack that word on, prices seem to go up $5-10. For an interesting out-of-way quiet place you might try the Inn Kensington: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/46240

Call up, make sure they are serving dinner, and ask for the prices and specials. Jojo is great but should cost you a bit more. But really not too much considering the quality. Just limit her to an entree and a dessert. Or get yourself an app for an entree!